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We’re ticking down the days until the season starts, and looking ahead at the impending challenges the Nittany Lions will face.
Over the past several seasons, Penn State has been nearly unstoppable at home - the last time the home crowd witnessed a loss was in 2015, when No. 14 Michigan upended the Lions 28-16. The road has been a different story, however. Since the beginning of the 2015 season, PSU has lost on the road 8 times, not including bowl games.
While the home schedule this year is daunting, it seems likely that the Lions may suffer a loss (or two) on the road. So: which road game worries you the most?
- Pitt, Week 2: While the Panthers seem to be trending in the opposite direction, they did manage to defeat No. 2 Miami at the end of last season. This game also figures to be their Super Bowl, as this is the last time the two teams will play in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.
- Illinois, Week 4: This is the first Big Ten Friday night game the Lions will be playing in. While the Illini are down on their luck, the big home game against OSU looms the following week. Illinois could catch Penn State sleeping.
- Indiana, Week 8: Team Chaos. Punt Week. Most Hated Rival. However you look at Indiana, they have a knack for chaos, and a noon kickoff at Bloomington the week after Michigan State and the week before Iowa seems like a prime trap game.
- Michigan, Week 10: The big dog of the bunch. Michigan returns a terrifying defense, and may just have found a quarterback in Shea Patterson. The last visit for the Lions didn’t go very well, and Harbaugh will look to improve on his fourth place finish in the B1G East from a season ago.
- Rutgers, Week 12: Uhh. Maybe the team will get food poisoning after eating some three-eyed fish plucked from a random New Jersey river? Maybe they’ll have gotten through all of their tough games and the entire team will be injured? Can’t see this one being that tough, but still!
The Lions are a tough out at home, but have struggled on the road. So, which road game this year scares you the most?